Speedometer drive gear



Jan. 27, 1925 1,524,151

' H. E. RHoADs SPEEDOMETER DRIVE GEAR INVENTOR. Har/y I Rhoads ATTOREYS.

1mg?, 192s.

H. E. RHOADS SPEEDOMETER DRIVE GEAR Filed June 24, 1922 2 Shoots-Sheet2r INVENTOR.

' ATTO EYS.

Patented Jan. `27, 1925.

UNITED STATES HARRY E. RHOADS, 0F TOLEDO, O-IO.

SEEEDUMETER DRIVE GEAR.

Application filed .Tune 24,

To all whom t may concern."

Be it known that l, HARRY ltrroaos, a citizen ot the United States,residing at rl`oledo, Ohio,county of Lucas, have invented certain newand useful improvements in Speedometer Drive Gears, of which l declarethe tollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to the drive gear ot a speedometer or odometerfor an automotive vehicle.

Jin object ot invention is the provision of a simple and eiiici'entdrive connection between such a meter and the drive shaft of thevehicle.

Another object is the elimination in suoli a connection of a separatelyattached gear member and the adaptation rather ot' a part alreadyemployed in the usual vehicle drive mech ani sm. i

Uther objects and objects relating to details of construction andeconomies of manufacture will appear as l proceed with the descriptionoli that embodiment of the invention which, Jfor the purposes ol thepresent application, l have illustrated in the accompanying drawing, inwhich:

Figure l is a vertical cross sectional view of the gear case and aportion of the crank case of an internal combustion engine drivenvehicle showing a common form of change speed gearing and my inventionapplied thereto.

`Fig. Il is a vertical cross sectional view of the gear casing taken online H-ll o1' Fig. l.

Fig. III is a horizontal cross sectional view of the gear casing takenon the line III- IH of Fig. II.

Fig. lV is a sectional view on the line IV-IV of Fig. HI showing one ofthe shifter forks and the worm gear and shaft carried thereby.

Fig. V is a cross sectional view on line V-V of Fig. IV and Fig. Vl is across sectional view of the gear which carries the worm for operatingthe speedometer or odometer.

Throughout the drawings the same reference numbers refer to similarparts, and the sectional views are taken in the directions indicated bythe arrows at the ends ot the section lines.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a transmission case 5supporting a gear shift housing 6 and containing a set of 1922. serialNo. 570,64?.

counter shaft gears the housing being connected at its forward end withthe engine crank case and at its rear end with a torsion tube S by meansoi a universal joint 9, such being a common construction oli internalcombustion engine driven vehicles. it. splin'ed power transmission shattl2 mounted on ball bearings 13 carries two slidable gears le* and l5which are adapted to be actuated by means of a gear shift handle 16 inthe usual and well known manner for obtaining various speed ratiosbetween the engine shatt 1T and the transmission shaft l2.

Both gear wheels ist and lo are provided with axial extensions, eachterminating in a radial flange which, with the body ot the gear, formsa. concentric annular channel for receiving the ends ot thecorresponding shifting fork. The 'flange 2() of the gear lo is shownsomewhat wider than the correspending flange of` the gear lll and hastermed on its periphery7 a worm 2l. The gear shift fork 22 tor the gearlet is shown of the usual constriiction. The gear shift fork 23 for thegear l5 however is modified to the extent that it is provided with apair ot lugs 24 which i'orm bearings for a small counter shaft 25 lyingin the plane of the worm 21. Between the lugs 2e a worm wheel 26 issecured to the counter-shaft 25 by means of a pin 27, which worm wheelmeshes with the worm 2l. ln order to connect the countershaft 25 with aspeedometer, odometer or a like device (not shown) tor indicating themovement of the vehicle, the counter shaft 25 has a flexible portion 23extending out through an elongated opening 30 in the gearcase 5. Ahousing 3l of a shape to conform to the opening 30 and tapered isattached to the exterior ot the gear case by bolts 32 and at its outerend has a nipple 33 for securing an armored case 34 for the flexibleportion of" the countershatt. A quickly detachable connection betweenthe two parts of the counter* shaft is provided by the means illustratedin Figs. IV and V where a spline 36 in one part engages a spline groove37 in the other.

By the above described construction it will be observed that the use ofan additional gear element for driving a speedometer countershatt isavoided and, instead, worm teeth are formed upon a flange of the gear15. It is to be noted however that the worm 21 might be formed equallywell on The nipple 22.3 on the outer end of the housing serves toanchorI the corresponding end of the armored case of the flexible shaft-Although the countershaft 25 is herein shown as arranged horizontally,this is for illustrative purposes merely, as such shaft may be mountedat any desired angle or vertically if preferred TWhile l have shown anddescribed in considerable detail a specific embodiment of my invention,it is to Vbe understood that this showing and description isillustrative only and for the purpose of rendering my invention moreclear, and that l do not regard the invention as limited to the precisedetails of construction illustrated or described except insofar as lhave included such limitations with the terms of the following claims,

`in which it is my intention to claim all novelty inherent in myinvention broadly as well as specifically.

That I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. In anautomotive vehicle having a change speed gearing comprising a slid-ablegear and means for sliding said gear, a countershaft carried by saidmeans, and means for rotating said countershaft from said gear. Y Q'. Inan automotive vehicle having a change speed gearing comprising aslidable .gear and means for sliding said gear, a countershaft carriedby said means, a gear on said countershaftl and a gear on said slid-ablegear in mesh therewith.

3. In an automotiveV vehicle having a change speed gearing comprising apower transmission shaft, a gear slidable thereon and a shifting forkfor said gear, a counter-- shaft `iournalled inV said shifting fork andcooperating means on said countershaft and said gear for` transmittingrotative movement an axial extension terminating in allange for engagingsaid shifting Wdevice, gear 'teeth formed on said flange, a countershaftcarried by said shifting device, and a on said countershaft for engagingsaid teeth.

7 In a gear shift mechanism com )rising a shifting device and a gearmember liaving an integral radial flange spaced from the body of saidgear member forming therewith an annular channel to receive saidshifting device, gear teeth formed on the periphery of said flange, anda countershaft and cooperating gear carried by said shi fting device S.ln an automotive vehicle, a gear shift mechanism comprising a slidablegear, a shaft adapted to be driven from and slidable with said gear, anda casing for said mechanism having an elongated opening through whichSaid shaft extends.

9. In an automotive vehicle, a gear shift mechanism comprising aslidable gear, a countershaft having a flexible portion and adapted tobe driven from and slidable with said gear, a casing for said mechanismhav ing a slot for said countershaft, a housing covering said openingand a part of said flexible portion and means on the outer end of saidhousing for engaging a covering on said flexible portion.

l0 In an automotive vehicle, a change speed mechanism including ashiftable transmission gear, a second gear connected with saidtransmission gear, a flexible shaft operatively connected with saidsecond gear, and common means for simultaneously shifting both of saidgears.

ln testimony whereof, I allix my signature.

HARRY E. RHOADS.

gear gear

